G2-level solar storm issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

G2-level solar storm issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

A massive hole has suddenly opened up in the Sun’s corona, as scientists say we are officially on watch for a geomagnetic storm.

Auroras will be likely across much of North America as the Sun descends into a solar minimum.

A storm watch for a G2-level solar storm has been issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - which is a moderate storm on the 5-level scale, with G5 being the highest, according to science alert.

We are now heading towards a solar minimum, the least active period of the Sun’s 11-year cycle, meaning there will be less sunspots, coronal mass ejection, and solar flare activity.

a G2-level solar storm has been issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

According to the British Met Office, the solar winds could travel at speeds of up to 600 kilometers per second (372 miles per second) in the next two days.

Spacecraft operations may be affected as the storm impedes GPS, which means corrections may need to be issued by ground control.

And high-frequency radio propagation can fade at high latitudes.

The biggest effect will probably be the light show since the solar winds are responsible for auroras.

As they blow in from space, they interact with charged particles (mainly protons and electrons) in our magnetosphere.

These charged particles then rain into the ionosphere and travel along the planet’s magnetic field lines to the poles, where interactions with other particles, such as oxygen and nitrogen, manifest as dancing lights in the sky. –Science Alert

According to a map released by NOAA, the auroras resulting from this storm will likely be visible from Alaska, as well as the states across the United States’s Northern border with Canada and as far south as Iowa and Illinois.